The 2017 route will start in Germany, require two plane trips and stretch across all five ranges in France

The Tour de France will once again stretch the limits of what technically constitutes France when it kicks off in Dusseldorf, Germany next year. In fact, the race won’t hit France until late into the third stage after breezing through Belgium and Luxembourg, according to the 2017 route, which was unveiled for the first time on Tuesday.

These hops over the border, of course, are nothing new for the Tour. But with one of the most logistically demanding races in years, the race has set itself up to be uniquely taxing on the...